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(985) 264-5003
saltysouthfishingcharters@gmail.com
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The 2023 Big 12 schedule is FINALLY out and Texas had a pretty good draw. I know just about everyone has weighed in on what they think but here are my thoughts.
Texas is still THE flagship university of the state.
The schedule makers made sure the Horns play all of their in-state rivals this year. In fact, most of those schools will get the benefit of one more sellout featuring UT. Texas goes on the road to take on Baylor, Houston and TCU. The only in-state rival travelling to Austin is Texas Tech. And just for good measure, UT opens the season at home against Rice. It’s almost like the old Southwest Conference days.
The upshot of making sure Texas plays all of its old rivals is that the Horns have to leave the state of Texas only twice, all year. They’ll take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa on September 9 and then they won’t leave the state again until they go to Ames to take on Iowa State on November 18.
It’s also a very friendly schedule for recruiting. It will be easy for the state’s best prospects to get to see the Horns play in person. There will be two games in the DFW Metroplex (OU at the Cotton Bowl and TCU in Fort Worth), plus the UH game will be played in Houston.
The home schedule sucks.
Rice
Wyoming
Kansas
BYU
Kansas State
Texas Tech
There’s not a lot of sex appeal in that lineup. The Kansas State Wildcats are the defending Big 12 champs, but they lost a lot of players from the 2022 team including stud RB Deuce Vaughn and the 2022 winner of the @Alex Dunlap man crush award, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Texas Tech could end up being the toughest matchup at DKR. The Red Raiders are on the upswing with coach Joey McGuire leading the way.
The biggest games are on the road
Alabama in week two could be the hardest game of the year. I see that week two game and I can’t stop thinking about @Anwar Richardon’s constant reminders that UT hasn’t started a season 3-0 since 2012. However, if Texas is not able to come out of Tuscaloosa with a win, it won’t be a season killer. The biggest games will be the back-to-back road games in November against TCU and Iowa State. Those two games will likely decide whether Texas is playing in the Big 12 Championship game this season. And, let’s face it, it’s a Big 12 title or bust for Steve Sarkisian’s 2023 Longhorns. Anything less than that will amplify questions about whether he really is the man to lead this program or whether AD Chris Del Conte needs to start looking at other options.
Win-loss record …
I didn’t do a game-by-game win/loss prediction last season and I’m not going to do it again this year. The fact is, Texas should be in every single game on this schedule. But there is another fact that is very hard to ignore … the Horns, under Sarkisian, have lost a game or two that they had no business losing (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State last year immediately jump to mind). So while I completely understand how people are looking at this and saying they expect 11-1 or 12-0, I’m not ready to go there. Plus, you never really know which teams are going to be tough outs until you get into play. Heading into last season, NOBODY thought TCU would contend for a conference title, much less make the college football playoffs.
Still, I am on record already as saying I expect a better team in 2023 than what we saw in 2022. I think it’s very reasonable to expect improved quarterback play from Quinn Ewers with another year’s worth of growth in this system and a year’s worth of experience. That alone should account for another win or two. I like this wide receiver room much more with the addition of AD Mitchell and the possible return of Isaiah Neyor. Not to mention the offensive line was incredible last year and they all return with another year’s worth of experience and weight room work. I expect this to be the best offensive line Texas has had since Vince Young was under center.
Defensively, I’m not sure what to expect in terms of a pass rush from the defensive line. I like the possibilities of Barryn Sorrell, Justice Finkley, J’Mond Tapp, Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek – but I don’t know that I look at any of them and say you can definitely expect one of those guys to break out with a double digit sack type season. Sorrell was the best of the bunch last year and will likely be the best again this season. I’m also curious to see how Anthony Hill plays this spring. He could be the key to UT having as good a year defensively as last season, if he can even come close to matching the production that DeMarvion Overshown took with him to the NFL. I believe the secondary will be a strength – especially after adding Jalen Catalon and Gavin Holmes to a deep DB room.
All of that to say – I don’t know what Texas’ final W/L record will be, but I do think it will be an improvement on the 8-5 2022 record … and possibly a big improvement if it all comes together.
NEW FACES ON THE DIAMOND
We’ll get our first look at the 2023 Texas Longhorn baseball team when it plays its annual alumni game this Saturday. For those of you who don’t want to sit out in the cold, you can watch the game on the Longhorn Network at noon (Central).
Texas comes into this season unranked because of the high amount of turnover from last year’s College World Series team. The Horns have to replace Ivan Melendez, Trey Faltine, Skyler Messinger, Douglas Hodo, Murphy Stehly and Silas Ardoin. Still, just because the rest of the country is doubting UT can successfully replace six starters, that doesn’t mean the Longhorns have lowered expectations for themselves.
“It’s the University of Texas,” outfielder Dylan Campbell told the press last week. “I don’t think that no matter who we have on the team, we’re out of the picture of competing for a national championship every year. With this university being what it has been the previous few years and the past overall, whoever we get here, they’re coming to play and we can go up against anybody in the country.”
For head coach David Pierce, the influx of new faces means it’s an opportunity to do flex a different kind of coaching muscle.
“What I’ve enjoyed about it is just taking a step back and teaching again,” said Pierce. “You know sometimes you get an older team and it’s more about repping? Now we’re taking some steps back and really spending more time and teaching and it’s been exciting.”
Pierce also has a lot of experience incorporating talented freshmen into the roster. This year will be no different with Jalin Flores expected to start at third base and Jared Thomas expected to take over Melendez’s spot at first base.
“The freshman class is really talented,” Pierce said. He added that he’s comfortable playing the new kids. “You know they’re going to have some setbacks early, how they deal with those adversities will be critical. Mentally, if they can overcome that, by April they’ll start really seeing those talents come out.
“I think you put them out there. When you have talent, you’ve got to play them. You’ve got to allow them to make some mistakes and understand that and get them through that because by May, April/May, then you see guys really take off.”
Flores in particular is one player that everyone in the Longhorn clubhouse seems to be expecting big things from.
“Jalin Flores is a beast,” said pitcher Lucas Gordon. “The biggest thing for me is his maturity, on and off the field.”
Campbell says Flores has picked things up quickly. “He’s starting to understand things a little bit more and I think he’ll really hit his stride going into the season.”
There is no question that this year’s Texas Longhorn baseball team will look and play very differently from the 2022 version. But don’t be shocked if the result is still a trip to Omaha for the College World Series … because the Longhorns themselves are expecting it.
DUCE ROBINSON …
@Ketchum posted a really good update on 5-star football TE Duce Robinson on the board last night.
The big takeaway is that Robinson’s recruitment could go into the summer as he sorts through his options. But for me, the more interesting takeaway is how the Texas baseball team could be a big factor in whether he ultimately makes his way to Austin.
I just got through laying out for you that the expectations are high within the baseball program and that this year will be another good year. I also wrote last week about the fact that I’m pretty high on Texas’ potential this year. The talent of the team, the softer schedule and the down year for the Big 12 make me more optimistic than most.
So if baseball ends up being the deciding factor I have to believe it will be better for Texas than Georgia or USC.
Georgia finished 36-23 last year – getting knocked out in the first round of the SEC tournament and losing in the regional too. This year, D1 Baseball is projecting Georgia to finish fifth (out of seven) in its own division of the SEC East.
USC, which has as blue of blood as anybody in college baseball, has really struggled. The Trojans finished 8-22 last year and D1 Baseball is projecting them to finish last in the Pac-12 again. New head coach Andy Stankiewicz is a good hire, but he’s got a LOT of work to do to get them back being good (much less CWS standards).
Just a guess here, but the longer the Duce Robinson recruitment goes, the better it will be for Texas. The Longhorn baseball team will do its part and you know Sarkisian will not let this recruitment go until the bitter end.
NOW IS THE TIME ON SPROCKETS WHEN WE LAUGH AT ARKANSAS AND A&M …
I just thought you guys would like this tweet.
Contact Austin to book your trip today!
(985) 264-5003
saltysouthfishingcharters@gmail.com
===========================================================================
The 2023 Big 12 schedule is FINALLY out and Texas had a pretty good draw. I know just about everyone has weighed in on what they think but here are my thoughts.
Texas is still THE flagship university of the state.
The schedule makers made sure the Horns play all of their in-state rivals this year. In fact, most of those schools will get the benefit of one more sellout featuring UT. Texas goes on the road to take on Baylor, Houston and TCU. The only in-state rival travelling to Austin is Texas Tech. And just for good measure, UT opens the season at home against Rice. It’s almost like the old Southwest Conference days.
The upshot of making sure Texas plays all of its old rivals is that the Horns have to leave the state of Texas only twice, all year. They’ll take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa on September 9 and then they won’t leave the state again until they go to Ames to take on Iowa State on November 18.
It’s also a very friendly schedule for recruiting. It will be easy for the state’s best prospects to get to see the Horns play in person. There will be two games in the DFW Metroplex (OU at the Cotton Bowl and TCU in Fort Worth), plus the UH game will be played in Houston.
The home schedule sucks.
Rice
Wyoming
Kansas
BYU
Kansas State
Texas Tech
There’s not a lot of sex appeal in that lineup. The Kansas State Wildcats are the defending Big 12 champs, but they lost a lot of players from the 2022 team including stud RB Deuce Vaughn and the 2022 winner of the @Alex Dunlap man crush award, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Texas Tech could end up being the toughest matchup at DKR. The Red Raiders are on the upswing with coach Joey McGuire leading the way.
The biggest games are on the road
Alabama in week two could be the hardest game of the year. I see that week two game and I can’t stop thinking about @Anwar Richardon’s constant reminders that UT hasn’t started a season 3-0 since 2012. However, if Texas is not able to come out of Tuscaloosa with a win, it won’t be a season killer. The biggest games will be the back-to-back road games in November against TCU and Iowa State. Those two games will likely decide whether Texas is playing in the Big 12 Championship game this season. And, let’s face it, it’s a Big 12 title or bust for Steve Sarkisian’s 2023 Longhorns. Anything less than that will amplify questions about whether he really is the man to lead this program or whether AD Chris Del Conte needs to start looking at other options.
Win-loss record …
I didn’t do a game-by-game win/loss prediction last season and I’m not going to do it again this year. The fact is, Texas should be in every single game on this schedule. But there is another fact that is very hard to ignore … the Horns, under Sarkisian, have lost a game or two that they had no business losing (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State last year immediately jump to mind). So while I completely understand how people are looking at this and saying they expect 11-1 or 12-0, I’m not ready to go there. Plus, you never really know which teams are going to be tough outs until you get into play. Heading into last season, NOBODY thought TCU would contend for a conference title, much less make the college football playoffs.
Still, I am on record already as saying I expect a better team in 2023 than what we saw in 2022. I think it’s very reasonable to expect improved quarterback play from Quinn Ewers with another year’s worth of growth in this system and a year’s worth of experience. That alone should account for another win or two. I like this wide receiver room much more with the addition of AD Mitchell and the possible return of Isaiah Neyor. Not to mention the offensive line was incredible last year and they all return with another year’s worth of experience and weight room work. I expect this to be the best offensive line Texas has had since Vince Young was under center.
Defensively, I’m not sure what to expect in terms of a pass rush from the defensive line. I like the possibilities of Barryn Sorrell, Justice Finkley, J’Mond Tapp, Ethan Burke and Colton Vasek – but I don’t know that I look at any of them and say you can definitely expect one of those guys to break out with a double digit sack type season. Sorrell was the best of the bunch last year and will likely be the best again this season. I’m also curious to see how Anthony Hill plays this spring. He could be the key to UT having as good a year defensively as last season, if he can even come close to matching the production that DeMarvion Overshown took with him to the NFL. I believe the secondary will be a strength – especially after adding Jalen Catalon and Gavin Holmes to a deep DB room.
All of that to say – I don’t know what Texas’ final W/L record will be, but I do think it will be an improvement on the 8-5 2022 record … and possibly a big improvement if it all comes together.
NEW FACES ON THE DIAMOND
We’ll get our first look at the 2023 Texas Longhorn baseball team when it plays its annual alumni game this Saturday. For those of you who don’t want to sit out in the cold, you can watch the game on the Longhorn Network at noon (Central).
Texas comes into this season unranked because of the high amount of turnover from last year’s College World Series team. The Horns have to replace Ivan Melendez, Trey Faltine, Skyler Messinger, Douglas Hodo, Murphy Stehly and Silas Ardoin. Still, just because the rest of the country is doubting UT can successfully replace six starters, that doesn’t mean the Longhorns have lowered expectations for themselves.
“It’s the University of Texas,” outfielder Dylan Campbell told the press last week. “I don’t think that no matter who we have on the team, we’re out of the picture of competing for a national championship every year. With this university being what it has been the previous few years and the past overall, whoever we get here, they’re coming to play and we can go up against anybody in the country.”
For head coach David Pierce, the influx of new faces means it’s an opportunity to do flex a different kind of coaching muscle.
“What I’ve enjoyed about it is just taking a step back and teaching again,” said Pierce. “You know sometimes you get an older team and it’s more about repping? Now we’re taking some steps back and really spending more time and teaching and it’s been exciting.”
Pierce also has a lot of experience incorporating talented freshmen into the roster. This year will be no different with Jalin Flores expected to start at third base and Jared Thomas expected to take over Melendez’s spot at first base.
“The freshman class is really talented,” Pierce said. He added that he’s comfortable playing the new kids. “You know they’re going to have some setbacks early, how they deal with those adversities will be critical. Mentally, if they can overcome that, by April they’ll start really seeing those talents come out.
“I think you put them out there. When you have talent, you’ve got to play them. You’ve got to allow them to make some mistakes and understand that and get them through that because by May, April/May, then you see guys really take off.”
Flores in particular is one player that everyone in the Longhorn clubhouse seems to be expecting big things from.
“Jalin Flores is a beast,” said pitcher Lucas Gordon. “The biggest thing for me is his maturity, on and off the field.”
Campbell says Flores has picked things up quickly. “He’s starting to understand things a little bit more and I think he’ll really hit his stride going into the season.”
There is no question that this year’s Texas Longhorn baseball team will look and play very differently from the 2022 version. But don’t be shocked if the result is still a trip to Omaha for the College World Series … because the Longhorns themselves are expecting it.
DUCE ROBINSON …
@Ketchum posted a really good update on 5-star football TE Duce Robinson on the board last night.
The big takeaway is that Robinson’s recruitment could go into the summer as he sorts through his options. But for me, the more interesting takeaway is how the Texas baseball team could be a big factor in whether he ultimately makes his way to Austin.
3. The baseball side of this is really important. In fact, I'm reminded of the Deion Sanders line about football being his wife and baseball being his mistress back in his playing days. This time the roles could potentially be switched. Baseball matters a lot. Much more than NIL opportunities.
4. There's a chance that the Robinson family would like to see the college baseball season unfold before committing to a school so that they can have a full view of the situation with that sport at all three schools before making a decision. Apparently, it's under consideration.
5. If this situation doesn't get wrapped up tomorrow or in the immediate future, it might be June before a decision is made. The MLB Draft is thought to occur too late in the process (July) for them to wait on before making the college decision, but a June decision would allow them to watch the upcoming college baseball season.
I just got through laying out for you that the expectations are high within the baseball program and that this year will be another good year. I also wrote last week about the fact that I’m pretty high on Texas’ potential this year. The talent of the team, the softer schedule and the down year for the Big 12 make me more optimistic than most.
So if baseball ends up being the deciding factor I have to believe it will be better for Texas than Georgia or USC.
Georgia finished 36-23 last year – getting knocked out in the first round of the SEC tournament and losing in the regional too. This year, D1 Baseball is projecting Georgia to finish fifth (out of seven) in its own division of the SEC East.
USC, which has as blue of blood as anybody in college baseball, has really struggled. The Trojans finished 8-22 last year and D1 Baseball is projecting them to finish last in the Pac-12 again. New head coach Andy Stankiewicz is a good hire, but he’s got a LOT of work to do to get them back being good (much less CWS standards).
Just a guess here, but the longer the Duce Robinson recruitment goes, the better it will be for Texas. The Longhorn baseball team will do its part and you know Sarkisian will not let this recruitment go until the bitter end.
NOW IS THE TIME ON SPROCKETS WHEN WE LAUGH AT ARKANSAS AND A&M …
I just thought you guys would like this tweet.
